• This document (two pages) http://cuddlepuddle.org/~adam/pickey/user.html
• Chord chart (two pages)
• How to connect to your PC (two pages)
• One PS/2 "Y" connector (optional)
• One PIC-Key chorded keyboard

This document assumes you are familiar with PC hardware and chording keyboards in general. More general information about the PIC-Key and other chorded keyboard projects can be found at http://cuddlepuddle.org/~adam/pickey/index.html or you can email adam@cuddlepuddle.org

General Notes

This product is provided "as-is" for evaluation purposes only. There is no warranty expressed or implied. The software (firmware) in the PIC microcontroller is Copyright © 1999 Adam Wozniak, all rights reserved. The software remains property of Adam Wozniak.

By accepting this evaluation kit you agree to the following terms:

• You will not transfer this evaluation kit to a third party without the express written permission of Adam Wozniak.
• You will only transfer this evaluation kit to a third party if they have read and agree to these terms
• You will not read or copy the software from the PIC microcontroller
• You will not publish the software in any form on any media, electronic or otherwise

The PIC-Key should be feature complete. That is, if a chord is listed on the chord chart, it should function as advertised. I am looking for general feedback regarding ease of use, and suitability and fitness for wearable applications. It should be obvious that the "case" is not complete at this time.

Variations from spec

The Typematic Delay period is slightly longer, and covers a wider range of values than the IBM PC Keyboard spec calls for. This was done to accomodate the unique requirements of chorded input. This should not affect windows users, as the windows control panel lists the "Repeat delay" as a slider from "Long" to "Short" without specifying actual values. Linux users using the kbdrate program should be aware that the actual delay period will be longer than specified by the kbdrate delay parameter.

The Typematic Repeat rate is linear over the range 2.0 CPS to 30.0 CPS, whereas the IBM PC Keyboard spec calls for a nonlinear curve. This was done to match the timing granularity of the PIC firmware. Again, windows users should not be affected, as the control panel displays "Repeat rate" as a slider from "Slow" to "Fast". Linux users using kbdrate should be aware that the actual repeat rate will differ from that specified by the kbdrate rate parameter.

Setting the typematic delay to 1000 ms and rate to 2.0 CPS (extreme "Long" and "Slow" settings in windows) will disable the typematic feature.

Typematic action applies to all keys except the CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT chords. Typematic action applies to all mouse movement chords but not mouse button chords.

The NUMLOCK functionality is absent. While the NUMLOCK LED does function, and can be controlled by the host computer, there is no chord for the NUMLOCK key. The NUMLOCK key is not necessary.

There are 4 LEDs on the PIC-Key. The standard three (scroll lock, num lock, and caps lock) function. The fourth can be set using bit 3 of the LED status byte sent after the 0xED command.

Bugs

Bug reports are welcome. When reporting bugs, be sure to include

• the board rev (printed on the circuit board)
• the firmware rev (see debugging on the chord chart)
• what type of PC you have (BIOS, BIOS date, CPU type, CPU speed, manufacturer, etc..)
• exact steps needed to reproduce the bug